“Bonal” is a creation of Hyppolite Bonal dating back to 1865. The pharmacist had collected countless herbs on hikes in the Chartreuse Alps and studied them to find out more about their medicinal and digestive properties. The result quickly became a favourite aperitif throughout France. In the period between the world wars, the family business achieved a daily production of 7,000 litres! But people’s tastes changed and Bonal eventually sank into oblivion. in 1976, Dolin, the manufacturer of Dolin vermouth, bought the Bonal recipe and began marketing it again in 1981.
It is made with gentian, quinine and other selected herbs from Chartreuse, which are macerated in grape must. Bonal has a reddish-brown colour and smells of plums and grapes. These flavours dominate the first sip, but are then replaced by the bitter elements of gentian root and quinine. The finish is sweet, with a hint of grapes, cherries and liquorice.